A Shtetl Grew in Bessemer - Southern Jewish Historical Society

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24 SOUTHERN JEWISH HISTORY role as a center for the religious and social needs of all Bessemer’s Jews not only made this congregation unique in Alabama, it also doubtlessly provided a sense of place, comfort, and security for a people who, despite the relative harmony with which they coexisted with Bessemer’s non-Jewish white majority, nevertheless knew that they were different and apart. In the early to mid-1950s, it appeared that Temple Beth- El would remain a stable congregation. The temple board recognized that a one-room facility did not adequately accommodate a congregation that required space for Sunday school and confirmation and bar mitzvah receptions. No one then could foresee that Bessemer’s Jewish population had already reached its apex and that it would decline within two decades. 109 In September 1955 the temple board announced formal plans to enlarge Temple Beth-El, and in June 1956 construction began on the addition that would eventually double the space of the existing structure, “provide much-needed class rooms, a vestry, a kitchen and auxiliary facilities,” and give the outer structure a new facade in order to “blend well with the building style used in the neighborhood.” Air conditioning added a final touch. Architect J. J. Baird worked from “designs created by Rabbi J. S. Gallinger . . . with D. K. Price of the Alabama Associated Building and Improvement Co. as contractor.” The building committee headed by Hyman Weinstein, included Oscar Applebaum, Levi Becker, Jake Cherner, Gallinger, Harry Wittenstein, and Leonard Zarovsky. 110 During the winter of 1956–1957 the remodeling project was completed, and Temple Beth-El’s congregation began worshipping in a “structure of brick veneer with Permastone trim . . . [which] incorporat[ed] the stern, utilitarian pattern of the original building into a modern architectural design which gives the effect of functional beauty . . . [it also contained] a pillared portico lead[ing] into a spacious lobby.” Other features included “silent swinging doors” leading from classrooms to the sanctuary, “western pine wood paneling,” “modernistic lighting,” and “swinging steel windows.” 111 “Liberal contributions from the membership of the congregation” made the enlargement possible, and Jacob Cherner, who
BARR/A SHTETL GREW IN BESSEMER 25 died in 1956, willed the temple a “sizable legacy” to aid in the endeavor. The project received other funds both in Cherner’s name and from “free will gifts from members of the Birmingham community.” Non-Jewish citizens of Bessemer contributed “unsolicited” money to the remodeling fund, a further sign of Jewish acceptance in the town. 112 Dedication of Temple Beth-El’s additions and a rededication of the original sanctuary took place on Friday, February 15, and Sunday, February 17, 1957. This occasion also marked the sixtieth anniversary of the temple as well as the twentieth anniversary of Gallinger’s ordination. 113 The schedule of services for the February 15th ceremony, again reflecting the great degree of acceptance Bessemer’s Jews enjoyed, included opening prayers and responsive reading led by Gallinger; the reciting of Psalm 122 by the Rev. Noble R. Edwards, past president of the Bessemer Ministerial Association and pastor of Bessemer’s First Christian Church; and a scripture reading from 1 Chronicles 29 and 1 Kings 2 and 8 by the Rev. Robert M. Man, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, Bessemer’s oldest church. A reception, sponsored by the Marvel City Lodge of B’nai B’rith in honor of Hyman Weinstein and Gallinger, followed in the new vestry. 114 Thus Rabbi Gallinger saw Temple Beth-El through a prosperous era. Nonetheless, six months after the temple rededication, he accepted the pulpit of Tri-Cities Temple B’nai Israel serving Florence, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia, Alabama. 115 Temple member Buddy Sokol observed that Gallinger received a better offer from the Tri-Cities temple, and no doubt serving three communities appeared to him to be a more secure opportunity as well. 116 Ann Gallinger, in a recent interview, remembers the move as being taken in part because, in her view, Bessemer’s Jews were “not very devoted to or interested in Judaism. . . . In Bessemer you were more connected to non-Jews. . . . “ 117 Still, leaving Bessemer at this time meant going from a Jewish community that numbered 130 residents to one that was not even listed in the American Jewish Year Book records. 118 This move marked the beginning of Temple Beth-El’s end. While High Holiday services went on as usual in September 1957, with lay leader Sam Meer officiating, 119 and while
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A Shtetl Grew in Bessemer - Southern Jewish Historical Society

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